Happy Wednesday

I’ve been getting antsy this week. It’s been several days more than I like to go without a really good meal. I’ve been eating cereal for breakfast, sushi (which is rapidly becoming the new sandwich in terms of the common New York lunch) and Indian food and pizza for dinner. The pork chops I made on Sunday night were pretty good, but not mind blowing as I had hoped they would be. I’ve also been working the past two nights and haven’t had the time to cook myself something delicious. Maybe I’ll buy some truffle ravioli and cook it for lunch tomorrow, but probably not.

What have I been doing with my time if not working or eating? Other than spending way too much time Watching the NBA playoffs, I’ve actually been cooking. The kind of cooking I have been doing however is a type that is somewhat foreign to me—I’ve been doing some pantry cooking. Each of the last two nights I came home and after drinking a can of seltzer (I really like seltzer from cans) I’ve been making stocks and pickling ramps with the hopes of using my new pantry foods for future meals. Hopefully some of my friends will get to taste some of these at a dinner in the near future?

The other big news is that the James Beard awards were announced last night. In New York news, David Watluck of Chanterelle won for most outstanding Chef, Joel Robuchon won for Best New Restaurant and my man David Chang of Momofuku fame won for Rising Star Chef of the Year (in the entire country.) Apparently he also celebrated in style driving around in the Momofuku party bus. One of the reasons I pickled ramps last night was because David Chang pickles ramps.

I feel the need to eat something really, really good…